SUCHITRA SEN*
She had plucked a handful of stars
They adorned her long black hair
Her graceful moonlight step
Gave a new rhythm to thousand feet
When she made love with her enigmatic eyes
With the legendary Uttam Kumar
My daughter’s heart melted
So did mine, my ma’s and my grandma’s
Newlywed couples watched Suchitra-Uttam** films
Rather than go on honeymoon
They held us enthralled for decades
Our sweet heart of all time
Was a true enigma
Not once did she step out of her self-willed wall
Decades after decades
Except on brief outdoor sojourns to spiritual places
Did she become a social recluse to glitter
Forever in the vast firmament of her fans’ hearts
As the same ethereal beauty?
Two days ago when she breathed her last
My land grieved for the octogenarian
Her near and dear ones honored her wish
By not lifting the veil of mystery
No one saw her bar a few loved ones
As she slept forever on the bed of flame
Fire consumed all but not her name
In million hearts does she dwell
One, whom age does not wither nor custom stale
